Eureka X1 Happy April Fool's Day
by MysteryAgain
Summary: Pranks abound on April Fool's Day, but are people going too far?
1. Chapter 1

It was just another morning in Eureka...

Having just woken up, Carter dragged himself into the kitchen. He obviously had not slept well, because he looked very groggy.

"Good morning, Sheriff Carter," said SARAH, in her cheerful, synthetic voice.

Carter, still half-asleep, looked up at the ceiling, "Uggh, good morning? Seriously?"

"Yes, Sheriff. In fact, the first morning of April," responded the A.I., unaware that the questions were rhetorical.

"Oh, no. Not April Fool's Day," mumbled Carter, as he sat down to eat his breakfast. Not a good day to be the town sheriff. Almost as if on cue, his phone rang. Grumbling, he picked up to answer. After a brief conversation with Alison, he hung up. "Great, it seems like I'm needed at G.D. Something urgent."

Carter arrived at Global Dynamics to find Alison, Jo, and Fargo, all of which were soaking wet. In fact, everyone he saw in the building was positively drenched. Janitors and others were busy mopping up puddles of water everywhere.

"What happened here?" he asked, although he already had a pretty good idea.

"Aggh! What does it look like!" Fargo vented, uncomfortably fiddling with his soaked suit. "I'm all wet!"

"Settle down, Fargo. It appears someone all of the sprinklers in the building went off," Jo answered.

"You had me come in to investigate an April Fool's prank?" Carter was not happy about being dragged there early, without breakfast and coffee, just to find out who set off the sprinklers. Especially since it was April Fool's Day, and therefore, most likely a harmless prank.

"Carter, this is serious. The water could have damaged some very sensitive equipment," Alison said with a firm tone.

"And it's disgusting, too!" Fargo added, still attempting to wring out his dripping outfit. "I've gotta change out of this!"

"Then go!" everyone else said, simultaneously. Fargo obeyed, running towards the locker rooms.

"It may have been accidental, so talk to Dr. Neil Parks," Alison continued. "He designed the system, so he'll know what set it off. At least all of the workers are cleaning things up fast."

"Okay, okay," Carter replied, not wanting to cross her. He set off to find Dr. Parks.

Carter walked through the office area, eventually stopping at one of the doors.

"Umm... Dr. Parks, can I talk to you?" he asked, knocking on the door.

"Come on in," said a voice from inside the office.

Carter stepped inside the office. At the desk was the middle-aged scientist, who, like everyone else in G.D, was soaking wet from head to toe. "Just got a question about your fire... system... thingy," Carter said, "What could've set it off like that?"

Grinning, the scientist replied, "Me. It was great, wasn't it?" He started giggling giddily, which soon transitioned to roaring laughter.

Stunned by the man's response, Carter muttered, "Err... this is where things get interesting"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Up in G.D.'s clinic...**_

Dr. Parks was on one of the hospital beds. Standing guard next to him was Jo. Off to the side, Carter and Alison were discussing the man's condition. All around, G.D. workers continued to dry off equipment. Everyone in the room save Carter was still dripping from the sprinkler incident. In fact, about everyone in G.D. was still wet because making sure the equipment was safe was a priority.

"So, I take it he's crazy or somethin'?" Carter asked, questioning Dr. Parks' mental health.

The both looked over at the man. The man licked the tip of his index finger and stuck it in Jo's ear. She immediately retaliated by grabbing that finger and pushing his hand down. A wince from him soon followed. Carter let out a small laugh.

Alison returned her attention to Carter. "Something's affecting him," she said, concerned. "For some reason, he has been pulling practical jokes on people, and it's like he's getting a kick out of it too."

The door to the clinic opened, allowing a dark-haired man to run in. He must have not been a G.D. long, for his clothes were still dry.

"I got the call. I don't understand. This isn't like Dr. Parks," he said, worriedly. "He's normally very serious with his work. He seemed fine yesterday."

The whole time the man was talking, Carter looked on, confused. "And this is?"

"Carter, this is Dr. Benson," Alison introduced the two men. "He works alongside Dr. Parks. Whatever is affecting Dr. Parks, it is like a poison. We can't cure his condition unless we find the source," she turned to Carter. "I'll need you to find out what he has been eating. That's probably how he ingested it. Dr. Benson might be able to help you with that."

"Sure thing," Carter responded.

_**Several minutes later, back at Dr. Parks' office...**_

Carter and Dr. Benson were searching Dr. Parks' office for the "poison." They had looked through drawers, cabinets, everything.

"Okay, we've got food, some bottled water," Carter summarized. "What else?" he said to himself. He needed to find anything that Dr. Parks could have eaten.

Dr. Benson stopped to think for a moment. "There's his medication too. It's in his bag."

Carter carefully removed the medicine bottle from Dr. Parks' bag. "This is experimental heart medication?" he exclaimed as he read the label. "I think we've just found our culprit." As he dropped it into an evidence bag, he continued, "Better get this up to the lab."

Carter headed back towards the clinic to do just that.

_**A few minutes later, in G.D.'s main lobby...**_

Carter was en route to the medical clinic, when Fargo reappeared, this time, in a dry sweatsuit. Alongside him was Larry, still in wet clothes, who appeared to be taking notes on a computer tablet. Ever since he had become the Head of Global Dynamics, Fargo had enjoyed keeping Larry around as his personal servant.

"Sheriff, I've been looking for you," Fargo said in an irritated tone. "Someone's TPed my office!"

_Seriously? _Carter did not want to take the time to investigate an April Fool's prank. He already had enough to deal with. And why was Fargo not busy cleaning up things like everyone else? "Sorry, Fargo," he finally said. "That'll have to wai-"

"Aaaggghhhh!" Fargo suddenly screamed like a five-year old girl.

Larry had pulled down Fargo's sweatpants, revealing a pair of Spiderman boxers. He started giggling childishly.

"That, I did NOT need to see," Carter bluntly declared as a red-faced Fargo struggled to pull his sweatpants back up. He looked over at the culprit, who was doubled over on with laughter. Just like Dr. Parks. "Wait a minute," he added, observing Larry's bizarre behavior. It appeared that Dr. Parks was not the only one affected with the pranking disease.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Back in GD.'s clinic..._**

"I guess the experimental med theory is busted," Carter grumbled. They were back to square one.

"This, desire to prank seems to be spreading," said Alison, worried. "It's not just Dr. Parks and Dr. Haberman." She pointed towards a few other patients who had been brought in. "Even worse, we still have no leads."

"You said that this is a poison-type thing?" asked Carter. "What about the Cafe?"

"Yes, that is all we have right now."

"I was just about to send you and Andy there to check what each of the patients had," Jo popped in.

"All right, I'll look into it," Carter affirmed.

"Go get 'em, Sheriff," Jo said, patting Carter on the back.

**_Down at Cafe Diem..._**

Carter arrived to find Andy waiting at the front of Cafe Diem.

"Sheriff, you arrived just in time," said Andy, grinning, as usual.

"What do you mean?" asked Carter. He looked through the window. "Oh..."

Cafe Diem was in chaos. Tables were turned upside down and Whoopie Cusions lied upon nearly every chair. Toilet paper was string all about. As the two policemen entered, Carter caught a whiff of a powerful stink bomb. Above all the disorder, many customers were laughing hysterically, leaving but a few bewildered onlookers.

"Oh, Sheriff, thank God!" exclaimed an exhausted Vincent. "People are acting crazy! Look at this!" He turned a saltshaker upside down, and its lid fell off.

"It seems that our problem has spread," observed Andy.

"No kidding," Carter replied. Things were a mess now, and if he did not find the problem soon, it could get ugly.

"Oh, and Sheriff?" Andy added.

"Yes?"

"My programming does not allow me to carry out those orders."

"What?" asked Carter, confused.

"Those orders. The ones on your back."

"Huh?" Carter reached to his back, only to feel a piece of paper taped to it. He quickly removed it, and examined it. It was a "KICK ME" sign.

"Jo," Carter muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the late update. I haven't had much time. I hope this makes up for it. By the way, if anyone has any constructive criticism, go for it.**

The disorder inside Cafe Diem continued. Just outside, Carter, Andy, Vincent, and the few others who were unaffected had gathered. The sheriff, now determined, was somehow going to get to the bottom of this.

"Everyone started going crazy. It started off small, but it soon got out of hand," stated a shaken Vincent.

Since so many were affected, the food seemed like a likely source of a poison. "Was it something you gave everyone?" Carter asked Vincent.

"Sheriff! There's no poison in the food, and besides, what those people inside did not eat the same thing!" Vincent asserted, somewhat offended due to what he perceived as an attack on his culinary skills. He did have a point, though. If the food was the cause, why were the people outside not affected, too?

Carter sighed. He was at a loss. "Okay, okay, anyone here have any idea what those people were exposed to?"

A murmur went through the crowd. The sheriff hoped for some clue. Anything.

"I don't...I was just starting my day..."

"...haven't been up that long..."

"Can't say..."

"...just got here..."

Something was funny about this. "W-wait! You're telling me that none of you were up early this morning?" asked Carter, surprised. The scientists looked and talked among themselves once more.

"...guess not..."

"no..."

"...don't start work 'til afternoon."

This was curious. The ones who were unaffected were also not awake early. "What about those people," he inquired, motioning to the pranking individuals inside.

"I think they all have morning shifts at G.D, so yes," answered Vincent.

A lightbulb went off in the sheriff's head. All of those people had been up early and were at Global Dynamics, too. This was too much to be a coincidence. "Something that happened this morning at G.D. had to have affected all those people," Carter exclaimed excitedly. "That's gotta be it. Andy, let's go!"

Carter turned towards his jeep. A frown appeared on his face. "Not again..." he groaned.

There was the sheriff's jeep, covered in silly string.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry again for the late update! I know I've fallen behind. Anyways, read and review!**

Sheriff Carter and Andy returned to G.D., despite the silly string prank. Upon entering, it was clear that things were a lot more chaotic. Additionally, the pranks looked even more dangerous. There was soap one the staircases. A bear had been let out of its containment cage and was now roaming G.D.'s hallways. The two of them even had to stop in order to put out a trash bin fire.

Andy seemed a bit confused. Turning to Carter, he said, "You know, Sheriff, I do not think I completely understand humor. These pranks are supposed to be funny to you humans, but they seem to carry a high risk of serious damage and injury."

"Yeah. I haveta say I'm kinda surprised that no one here's done anything more... high-tech. I mean, I would think scientists would be a little more... creative," observed Carter. "Well, we'd better find out what happened this morning to start the pranking illness."

Their attention shifted at the sound of angry approaching footsteps. It was Fargo. And, he did not look happy at all. In fact, he had a handlebar moustache drawn on him with black ink. "Sheriff! I fall asleep for ten minutes and look!" He motioned at the drawing on his face. "And look what they did to my office!"

Carter couldn't help but snicker just a bit at Fargo's misfortune. "Fargo, if it's about the toilet paper, you've already told me."

"It's not!" he shouted, stomping his foot and motioning towards his office. "Everything's been bubble wrapped!"

It was true. The couch, the chairs, the desk, were all covered in it. Even Fargo's bobblehead doll was wrapped in the material.

Carter groaned. "Okay, you know what? There's a lot of other stuff going on, and we're kinda busy, so your office can..." He suddenly paused. "Wait a minute. You were at G.D. this morning. I was, too. How come we don't seem to be affected?"

That indeed posed a few questions.

"To think it all started with the sprinklers!" mumbled Fargo.

"Wait a minute!" Carter had an epiphany. "The sprinklers went off this morning. Everyone got wet! What if the poison was in the water? Hey, Dr. Benson!" he called towards the scientist, who, conveniently had just been passing by. Can we test the water in the sprinkler system? It might be poisoned!"

"Actually, there are fire retardant chemicals in the system," corrected Dr. Benson. "They help put fires out better than water itself."

"Well, whatever. Could one of them have caused this pranking thing?"

"It's possible. He was experimenting with a new compound last night."

"So he came into contact with it during his experiments. Then, when he set the sprinklers off, everyone else was affected."

"And I changed out of my wet clothes," chimed in Fargo, sounding strangely proud. "That's why the poison didn't affect me!"

"Duly noted," muttered Carter. Anyways, if the sprinkler stuff really is causing people to prank, we can just have Alison find a cure, right?"

"Ummm... Sheriff, she was here when the sprinklers went off, too," Andy reminded him. "She will likely be afflicted as well."

Carter stopped. Indeed, Alison had been soaked as well because of the sprinkler prank, and she would now want to pull pranks herself. However, the sheriff would not give up so easily. "True. But we have to try," he finally responded.


	6. Chapter 6

"Alison, you in here?" Carter asked, looking into the medical laboratory.

SPASH! He was immediately greeted with a water balloon to the face. Alison laughed hysterically as Carter wiped the water from his face. Andy was right. Alison had been affected as well.

"Alison, please stay with me," the sheriff pleaded, placing his hands on hers. "We found this chemical has been causing this. Can you fix it?"

"Hehe- I can make somethi-ing to neutralize it-t," coughed Alison, stifling her laughter.

She was fighting back the urge to laugh as she was working with the chemical, though it was a losing battle. Every minute she seemed to be slipping further into the prankster disease. After about half an hour, Alison had come up with a purplish powder. "Okay-he, a little's enough-ff to cure the-em, but they-y mu-ust inhaale thi-is..." She trailed off as she succumbed to laughter.

"Alison!" Carter exclaimed. He tried desperately to talk her back out of the laughter. But it was no use. Sheriff Carter was now on his own.

Carter hurried, cure in tote, to G.D.'s lobby, finding Andy and Fargo looking worriedly over the present situation. No one could blame them. After all of the pranks, the lobby was a mess.

"Alison made the... stuff. Whoa, what's going on?"

"It would appear someone used oil to make G.D.'s floors slippery," Andy replied. "Someone could slip and break a leg. Or, if there is another fire, then this place could very well-"

"Go boom," Carter finished. This was not good. The situation was too dangerous for him to spend time individually administering the cure to everyone. He had to cure as many people as possible, and fast. "We'd better stop everyone in G.D. before that happens." He paused to think. "We need to somehow get as many people as we can in here in the same place, at the same time."

But, how? Everyone affected was unlikely to listen to instructions. Using force would not work, either, considering the "prankers" far outnumbered the unaffected. But he had to do something. There had to be something to get everyone in the same place...

"Wait, I've got an idea," announced the sheriff. He turned to the head of G.D. "Fargo, you might not like this..."

Both Fargo and Andy listened as Carter explained his plan. Fargo grimaced when he learned his role.

On the other hand, the deputy seemed rather enthusiastic about Carter's plot. "You know, sheriff, that might actually work," he said eagerly.

Fargo groaned. "Fine, if it would get everyone in here. Let's just get this over with..."

"Okay. I think we've only got enough for one shot," said Carter. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>"Check it out! Fargo's asleep in the middle of the lobby!" Carter shouted over the intercom.<p>

Throughout G.D. there was a murmur. The pranksters suddenly rushed into the lobby to check this out. Sure enough, Fargo was asleep on a couch in the middle of the lobby. They simply had to try some pranks. After all, who could resist pranking Fargo while he was in his slumber? More and more workers bolted in. Several had black markers and cups of water at the ready. As soon as they got close, they slowed down to a quiet tiptoe, though you could still hear giggles.

The sheriff was watching the crowd from overhead, holding onto the jar of purple powder. Slowly, the mob was closing in on Fargo. Carter looked at all of the exits. Fewer people were filing in, and the ill people were about to play their jokes on Fargo. It was his only chance to stop the madness. It was now or never.

Carter shouted as he flung the jar's content's out over the crowd. Soon, the center of G.D.'s lobby was filled with a fine purple dust. The mob of pranksters breathed in the cure. Within seconds, members of the crowd were looking around, confused. Those holding markers and water cups either dropped them or stared at them with a puzzled expression. Fargo sat up. The whole time, he had been pretending he was asleep, and he was relieved that the workers had been cured before they pranked him at that moment.

* * *

><p>"So it worked," grumbled Fargo, "but why'd I have to be the one pretending to be asleep?"<p>

"Well, statistically, you appeared to be the one who was most frequently a target of the pranks, so having you be the one pretending to sleep gave us the highest possibility of success," Andy explained.

Fargo groaned.

"Do not feel so bad, director. If you had not done that, the plan never would have worked."

Fargo's face lit up. "So that means," he said eagerly, "that I'm the hero!"


	7. Chapter 7

Things in Eureka were back to normal once more. That is, if Eureka could be normal. At least the crazy pranks were under control, now that most people were cured and those who were not at G.D. were in the process. Carter was just picking up his jeep from Henry's garage.

"You missed all of the craziness," Carter stated to Henry. "You're lucky you missed out."

"Oh, you should see Feynman's Day," replied Henry, with a big grin and a chuckle. "Anyways, your car should be fine now. Luckily, the silly string cleaned up easily."

"Thanks. I have to say I'm a little surprised. Usually it gets totaled."

As if on cue, a G.D. employee burst into the garage.

"Excuse me, Dr. Deacon, could you take a look at my trucks' breaks? I have the feeling they're about to..."

He was interrupted by a high pitched squealing sound. CRASH! Carter smacked his forehead in disbelief. "Somehow, this always happens..."

THE END

Note: Now that I've finally come to the end of my first fanfic ever posted to this site, I've love to hear about the hits and misses. Thanks readers!


End file.
